Semantics of Song
by dementedboots
Summary: SS/OC romance story. This is my first fanfiction, so go ahead and be harsh with criticism, i'll just be glad someone read it at all.


A crack of sunlight was filtering through the space between the curtains right into the eyes of a sleeping girl. The girl sat up slowly and yawned deeply, stretching her jaw and arms. For second she looks almost confused, like she doesn't know where she is but then it all comes back: She's not in France anymore. The family with which she was staying, the Nutcombes, had to leave quite suddenly and sent her back to London where she was born. Nicole was used to this; she'd been living with unreliable people for eleven years.

"Back to school today," she said in a monotone.

With nothing better to do, Nicole slid out of bed and began to get ready to face the day; Nicole had always been an early riser so she had a few hours before she needed to catch the Knight Bus to take her to King's Cross. She stood in the shower longer than necessary, all clean but wanting to waste time doing something that seemed worthwhile. She dawdled while getting dressed also, trying to imagine how school will be. While going to a new school breaks from the routine of Beauxbatons, it's still yet another year going by with no change. Though Harry Potter will be at Hogwarts, meeting the boy who brought about the end of the Dark Lord should be interesting. All dressed and groomed, Nicole could find nothing else to do but leave to eat breakfast. She left her packed trunk on the bed as instructed by one of the maids.

"Morning, Miss; your breakfast is on the table." The bald and toothless innkeeper was nice enough to leave a bowl of porridge on the table for her.

Nicole ate quickly, she didn't realize how much time she had wasted getting ready. Soon the bowl was empty and she was outside in front of a garishly purple bus. A kindly old witch held her trunk out to Nicole, her smile still visible in the deep folds of her wrinkles. Nicole nodded her thanks then walked up the steps of the purple monstrosity passing for a bus. The ride to King's Cross is thankfully short and Nicole is soon walking through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

The scarlet train was just beginning to spout billowing clouds of white smoke when Nicole arrived through the barrier. There's an empty compartment near the back of the train where she pushed her trunk up on to the rack and sat down to wait.

Nicole was woken by the sound of the compartment door sliding open and a large group of people coming in.

"Oh, sorry, thought this was empty," said a tall boy with dark brown hair. "Wait, I haven't seen you before and you're way too old to be a first year."

"I'm a transfer student; I'm going to be in my sixth year." Nicole yawned and sat up straighter.

"I hope you're in Slytherin," he leered.

"I will be." She said, but he looked at her questioningly. "I'm related to Salazar Slytherin. Could you leave so I can go back to sleep?"

The group of people left, but Nicole couldn't get back to sleep. The sky was overcast and a fine mist was rolling over the mountains. Nicole gazed absentmindedly out the window, seeing more of her own dark green eyes than the scenery. The train finally starts to slow down and as soon as Nicole has her robes on properly the train has come to a complete stop. Nicole grabs her trunk and exits the train where several thestral drawn carriages are waiting for the students. Nicole is a bit taken aback by the thestrals since the creatures are so rare, but people are either ignoring or can't see them. She hopped into an empty carriage and waited for it to start moving. A small boy with platinum hair climbed into the carriage along with two other much larger boys.

_He looks like a miniature Lucius Malfoy_, Nicole thought and smiled to herself.

The carriage ride was very short and soon Nicole is looking up at a giant castle, the lit windows dotting the walls like stars. All the rest of the students were walking past Nicole who was still in awe of the school.

"Miss Craven, I presume." said a very stern looking witch, with her hair combed back into a tight bun.

Startled, Nicole nodded.

"I'm Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house. You shall be sorted into your house after all the first years. Wait here until your name is called."

Nicole leaned against the stone wall at the end of the Dining Hall where Professor McGonagall pointed.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She added as an afterthought.

Welcome to Hogwarts indeed. Nicole was left leaning against that wall for over half an hour until she finally hears someone shout her name. Nicole walked down a corridor and was greeted with hundreds of eyes staring at her. Ignoring all of the curious students, she walked briskly toward a stool with a very battered hat lying on it. She placed the hat on her head, expecting it to shout Slytherin immediately, but instead it starts talking inside her head.

"Salazar my old friend! His blood runs thick in your veins. Very thick. Been nearly fifty years since one of his heirs came to this school. I guess you know what's coming...SLYTHERIN!"

The last word was shouted for everyone to hear and Nicole went to join the Slytherin table where she was greeted warmly. The golden plates are empty, but all around the room the tables are filling with delicious foods. Headmaster Dumbledore made a short speech, but Nicole wasn't listening; sitting up at the staff table, looking very displeased, was Severus Snape. Sure, Nicole was only five or so the last time she saw him, but he hadn't changed at all. Nicole, however, seemed to have changed a lot in the past eleven years and now wanted nothing more than to undress him with her teeth. He didn't seem nearly as interested as her though, he kept glancing towards the entrance hall discontentedly.

---

Just as the feast was ending and Nicole was following her classmates toward the Slytherin dormitory, she was summoned by a deep voice.

"I'd like a word, Miss Craven," said Snape.

She keeps her composure though she can hear her heart beating in her ears and follows him through a different corridor to a large wooden door. Snape murmurs the password and the door swings open. The office is on the smaller side with a giant desk pushed to one side and a storeroom that looks like an apothecary. There is only a cauldron on the desk with two chairs on either side. Snape goes to one of the chairs and sits down, prompting Nicole to do the same. He folds his hands on the desk and finally looks at her.

"I am Professor Snape, potions master of this school. Potions is not a class required to students above their fifth year. Though I did receive a letter boasting of your talents, my proclivity towards teaching students who are not complete disappointments means I will be testing these said talents myself." His black eyes searched Nicole's face, but she remained silent. "The Draught of Peace will be sufficient. No instructions; you have as long as it takes." He places a piece of parchment on the table and remains sitting in his chair.

Nicole pushes her chair back and heads into the storeroom to gather the ingredients, carefully placing them on the desk when she gets back. The making of the potion only takes twenty minutes, and after adding hellebore and stirring three times counter-clockwise, the potion turns from acid green to the pale silvery-blue it's supposed to be. Nicole looked up from her cauldron and stared into his onyx eyes.

"Done." She said and began to get up from her seat.

"So you have," was all he said. "Will you need assistance in finding the Slytherin common room?"

"That would be very much appreciated, Professor."

Snape rose from his chair silently and led the way toward the Slytherin dormitories. Nicole stared straight ahead, trying to memorize the way to her new home while also trying not to think such naughty thoughts about her new professor. It was only a few moments before they had reached a blank stretch of wall where Snape stopped abruptly.

"The password is 'Pureblood.'" He said. "Good night, Miss Craven."

"Good night, Professor."

Nicole spent the rest of the evening absent mindedly wondering if Snape saying good night to her was more than professional.

---

The dungeon was colder than usual; a reminder that winter was on the way. Nicole could hear her footsteps echoing off the dank walls.

"How nice of you to join us, Miss Craven," Nicole watched everyone's head snap up at the dangerously soft voice of Professor Snape. "Unfortunately it seems you're nearly an half an hour late. This is your fourth tardy in only two weeks. I can't imagine what could be more important than your education, but you will have plenty of time to tell me all about it after class. Take your seat."

Nicole walked past the rows of astonished students and sat down. As Snape continued with his speech on the many uses of hellebore the class settled back into staring blankly at the board. Nobody wanted to think of hellebore with the much anticipated Halloween feast mere hours away. Nicole tried to focus, but her mind kept wandering to how severe her punishment may be; hoping Snape would be supervising. Every Potions class had been spent staring directly at Snape thinking incredibly inappropriate thoughts. A few times their eyes would lock and Snape would look away quickly, a deep flush reddening his face.

Nicole waited until every other student had left the room before walking towards Professor Snape's desk. They looked at one another with matching vacant stares.

"I want the floor clean. It will be flawless; if there is so much as a smear of dust in one of the corners you will clean the entire thing again. There is a bucket of water and rags in the storeroom. You have as long as it takes." Snape picked up a pile of parchment and began grading.

Nicole didn't say a word as she grabbed the bucket and headed toward the back of the classroom to begin. The floor looked as though it had sustained years of messes, Snape probably didn't allow the house elves to clean it so he could hand out a punishment like this.

Meanwhile, Snape had finished grading for the moment and was watching Nicole. How utterly infuriating she was. No one, certainly not a student, had ever looked at him so intently and without looking away. And her thoughts! He felt violated though it was her mind he was looking into. It was enough to drive someone mad, the feelings of complete lust but knowing he couldn't do a thing about it. She was just a girl. What about his job? Oh, but he wanted to so badly. It was obvious she wanted him too. It would be so easy; no one would have to know.

Snape looked up, Nicole was nearly halfway finished. Even when she wasn't doing anything, Snape's thoughts of her forced him to neglect his work. If he was a weaker man it may have shown.

Nicole's hands and knees were scraped raw and the feast was surely over by the time she was finished cleaning the floor. She walked slowly when she put away her cleaning supplies so as not to show her limp. Snape caught sight of her inspecting her bloodied hand.

"Come sit over here. I have some dittany; that can save you a trip to the infirmary at least." His voice was soft, but lacking in its sinister undertones.

Nicole sat in the straight backed chair opposite of Snape's and stared at him. Her eyes seemed a little large for her face, making her look childlike. Snape always felt a little startled at being regarded with those huge, sad eyes.

Silently, Snape lifted Nicole's leg on to his own and applied the dittany on her bloody knee. His touch felt electric on her skin and a shock of pleasure made her body twitch. He did the same with her other leg and it rested on his thigh while he took her hands in his own. The dittany burned, but it was nothing compared to the anguish she felt at being so close to him. Snape moved slowly, not wanting to break contact. Her skin felt so warm and alive. Before either of them was completely aware, their lips touched. The kiss was so light it may not have even happened.

Nicole stood up quickly and looked at her hands. "Thank you, Professor," she whispered before leaving.


End file.
